Stone Cold
by lucocat
Summary: Despite having been shot and left to die, it's the stone floor Skye can't seem to forget.


_Just a small ficlet I came up with a few days ago - remember it's called FICTION for a reason!_

_It does lose focus towards the end but rather than continually edit and re-edit it, I decided to upload it - please enjoy and excuse the typos!_

* * *

_"Hey __guys! Rookie you'd better hurry up if you want to get started with training before the sun goes down!"_ Ward found Skye in the living space with FitzSimmons, not in the gym area where she was supposed to meet him 23 minutes ago.

_"Geesh, you don't show up on time to play with the robots wiring and he stalks you down all Terminator-like! If I promise to come quietly will you forgive my 10 minute tardiness?"_ Skye knew it was far more than 10 minutes, but couldn't help getting distracted by the science duo who were far more excited than should be allowed about a strange goo the team had recovered trekking through the Nevada Desert when reports of strange animal behaviours began being reported online. She did find their babbling quite cute 5 minutes in, after that she felt a headache developing trying to keep up with the pace of the conversation.

_"23 minutes, 49 seconds and counting actually" _

_"Ohh *actually*, poor Jemma - all that hard work she put into keeping Skye alive and now Ward it going to ruin it by making her run the length of a marathon in under an hour."_ Fitz was so caught up with the jokey vibe that Skye and Ward were oozing at each other that he failed to notice the look on his partners face drop _"Damn no! Agent Ward, Skye is still on restricted duties until I deem her fit for duty - it will be ME who makes that final decision NOT you! Skye isn't some black ops specialist who would cut off a broken arm and carry on with the mission, she is a normal human being who having been through a traumatic experience needs time to heal - she will not be running any marathon distances today, tomorrow or next week until I say so...ARE WE CLEAR?"_

Ward, too flabbergasted to say anything felt his training kicking in, stood to attention and rewarded Simmons with a curt _"Mam, yes mam!"_

Skye and Fitz looked at each other and burst out laughing, _"Go Jems! I don't think I've ever seen Ward so contrite"_ Fitz turned to his partner in crime and held his hand up signalling for a high-five but immediately dropped it when he saw the murderous expression on her face.

_"Wow Simmons, try for a salute this time...go on robot, salute to the scary lady!"_ Skye, whilst internally promising herself never to get on the wrong side of Simmons, couldn't help seeing the humour in the situation; her mild mannered friend had chastised the black-ops specialist! Oh, the lessons Jemma needed to teach her! She felt about 3 weeks' worth of teasing Ward coming out of this little scene!

_"Anyhow...in the vainest attempt to save what dignity Ward has left, I suggest my dear S.O. that we disappear very quickly before Jemma has you scrubbing the decks with your toothbrush!"_ Skye got up off the seat she was on and promised Jemma that she was not intending to do anything too strenuous, just continue with some light exercise and stretching that she and Ward had started a few days earlier. She knew anything too much would knock her progress back considerably, a risk in the present circumstances she wasn't willing to take. Anyway, Ward wouldn't even let her eyeball the punch bag let alone start hitting it; he told her on no uncertain terms that she would be following his instructions to the letter, unless she wanted to face HIS consequences. Thou at this moment in time she would be more willing to face Ward and his punishment rather than face a really pissed Jemma Simmons.

-x-x-x-x-

Skye and Ward made it down to the gym area and restarted the programme Ward had devised for her recovery. 20 minutes into the session, Ward walked over to the side to grab a bottle of water and stood for a moment admiring Skye's form. He shook himself out of his reverie when he noticed Skye moving to the next stretch, but not quite getting the right stance. Ward unknowingly walked silently up behind her and began correcting her position so she would feel the proper effect from what she was trying to achieve but not hurt herself at the same time. Unfortunately Skye hadn't been concentrating on her surroundings and didn't hear Ward behind her; when he touched her she spun round readying herself to fend off her attacker. Ward grabbed her close to his chest in order to fend off her fists, unfortunately for both of them the way he had grabbed and held Skye returned her the cellar in Italy. Ward holding her close unexpectedly brought forth images of Ian Quinn after he shot her the first time. He had held her close, then shot her again - she panicked and began twisting and turning in Wards grasp, desperately clawing and hitting at him to let her go. Ward, initially not understanding what was happening tightened his grip on her in an attempt to calm her down and prevent her from injuring herself any further, which he quickly realised was only adding to her confusion. Just as he was about to release his arms from around her, FitzSimmons happened upon them; Jemma, not quite appreciating the scene before her automatically concluded that Ward and Skye had disobeyed her instructions and were grappling, running down the steps she bellowed _"AGENT WARD LET SKYE GO THIS INSTANT"_

Distracted by the shouting behind him, Ward spun round to Simmons, unfortunately for him Skye's arms were no longer restrained and she was able to swing a fist in his direction which managed to connect with his eye. Skye seemingly came out of her daze when she punched him, realising what she had done Skye muttered an apology before making a break for the steps back up to the main body of the plane. Ward went to go after her, determined to catch her particularly as he spotted the way Skye was holding herself in her way out of the cargo hold; she had hurt herself when struggling against him and if he had to guess, he'd bet she was in considerable pain. Ward wanted to catch her up to haul her back to the med pod and find out what had happened, but Simmons stepped in front of him _"Agent Ward! What did I tell you earlier, Skye is in no physical shape for close combat training; did you even think about her injuries - what if she tore her stitches, what..."_

Ward, finally getting his bearings shouted a hasty _"we weren't fighting but Skye is hurt"_ at the science duo before running up the steps after his wayward Rookie.

-x-x-x-x-

Ward ran through to the living area, then into Skye's bunk; not seeing her on her bed, he ran through to the kitchen area becoming increasingly frustrated when he couldn't find her. FitzSimmons caught up to him and before Jemma could question him about what had happened, Ward explained _"Skye and I were running through her stretches, I went to correct her stance and must have startled her. She panicked and I tried to calm her down, you walked into the cargo hold and know the rest. She's hurt Jemma, just help me find her - you can yell at me later."_

Fitz, pulling at his partners arm assured Ward that they would check the storage area of the plane and upper decks before running off to do just that.

Ward knew that Skye was still on the plane, they were mid flight and bar parachuting out there was no possible means of escape for Skye; he just needed to think like her. Skye, his infuriating Rookie who frequently made him experience emotions he had long tried to suppress; who spent her life flying under the radar, making herself disappear in the blink of an eye when needed, but always hiding in plain sight. Ward was hit with a flash of inspiration and went running back to Skye's bunk, once inside he approached her small wardrobe; not wanting to startle her further he called out softly to her, _"Skye, I know you're in there I'm going to open the door."_

When he opened the door he found Skye huddled under her clothes sitting on the floor, crying silently. _"Skye"_

When she made no acknowledgement of having heard him, he tried again "_Skye, I'm sorry for what happened - can we talk about it?"_

Skye adjusted herself to sink further out of sight and into the back of her wardrobe _"I'm sorry Ward, I overreacted - it'll be fine, I'll be fine. I'll see you at dinner, please leave."_

_"Not a damn chance in hell am I leaving, you need to tell me what happened down there and tell me how I can help you." _Ward glimpsed sight of Fitz and Simmonds arriving at Skye's bunk; before Jemma could rush in, Fitz grabbed her arm and silently pulled her away from the scene before them. Ward flashed Fitz at quick nod of his head, acknowledging what he was doing and turned back to the wardrobe.

_"You said it yourself Ward, all I do is talk and talk and talk and talk; I can't win can I - when I don't want to talk you complain, when I do want to talk you complain. Right now I don't want to talk; I want to forget, I want to close my eyes and not be back in that cellar with Ian Quinn, I don't want to relive him reaching for me and holding me close after he shot me the first time. I want him not to shoot me the second time and I don't want him to let me drop to the ground and I don't want to remember him walking off and leaving me there, all by myself on that damned stone floor."_

Ward quickly realised what had instigated Skye's panic attack and mentally began kicking himself for being so stupid. Of course Skye would still be jumpy after what had happened - not one of the team had ever expected to find Skye close to death that day, and definitely not by Ian Quinn's own hand. Quinn didn't handle his own dirty work; he paid others to do his bidding.

Ward went to reach out for Skye's arm but thought better of it in case he startled her again. Instead he sat down on the floor just outside the wardrobe, keeping her within easy reach but allowing her sufficient space so she didn't feel boxed in. He focussed his full attention on what she was saying, never allowing his eyes to leave her face for fear of missing some important detail that Skye would be trying to convey.

_"I want to close my eyes and forget crawling across the floor, reaching for that door handle. I don't want to remember the warmth of my own blood running out of me and how cold I felt when it seemed there was no blood left in my body or how cold I still feel. When I'm alone I feel like I can never get warm again, no matter how many blankets I wrap myself up in or jumpers I wear; at night I wake up cold and stay awake shivering because there is no warmth left. Why can't I stay warm or sleep? I don't know what I want to do more, sleep or stay warm. You know, Fitz asked me what I remembered most when I was shot, I lied and told him I didn't remember anything after hitting the ground after the second shot, but I remember it all - the pain and lying there alone calling out for help. I remember watching Quinn walking off and closing the door behind him, I remember calling out for anyone to help – pleading that anyone, even Quinn would come and rescue me. But most of all, I remember the coldness of the floor; it felt like it was consuming me, drinking my blood and there was nothing I could do. I know I will forget the pain and loneliness and I've accepted that I did die, but it is the cold that I can't seem to overcome."_

Ward reached over to the small bed in Skye's bunk and pulled one of the blankets from the top; he silently pulled it up around her not knowing how else to respond. He understood what Skye was saying, he had been there himself having been shot in the backyard of a small house he had once been infiltrating. The operation had gone south almost immediately, and he had been shot when attempting to gain entry to the house and had been left to bleed out. For him, it was the smell of fresh cut grass that transported him back to that moment; it was the only thing he remembers before losing consciousness. He shuffled himself further into the wardrobe, reaching for Skye in the darkness and hooked his arm around her shoulders pulling her to his chest. He felt her flinch the moment he touched her, and felt her immediate reaction of trying to push against him and move further away.

"_Skye, in time you will get warm again – I can't tell you when or where it will happen, but eventually the coldness will fade. I'm not saying you will ever forget it and I know you aren't naive enough to believe that it ever will, but do trust me – there will be a time when it won't consume your every moment. Over time, the coldness will lessen but it will never leave you entirely; it will serve as a reminder of your past, how you faced death and overcame it."_ As he spoke he felt Skye's body gradually relax against his, she moved ever so slowly and turned her body into a more comfortable position, using his chest to rest her head against. On impulse, Ward moved his hand and began stroking his hand up and down her arm; when she didn't attempt to move he tightened his grasp and held her closer.

"_You survived, as clichéd as it sounds you have lived to tell the tale. Now we move forward and find a way to turn the coldness into your greatest weapon; how we do that I'm not sure but in time, together, we will. I can't promise you a warm future, you know as well as I do how unfair our lives can be, but I do promise that whatever happens I will be with you all the way. We will train harder and longer, I'll teach you everything I know and maybe even I'll let you teach me some of what you know."_ Ward knew he was talking to himself, as he had felt Skye's breathing even out and felt her body relax against his as sleep came over her, but he did mean what he said.

-x-x-x-x-

Skye had told him her secret, laid bare her greatest fear and trusted him enough to hold her close; he owed it to her to tell her his greatest fear had already been acted out before his very eyes, but not now. He hadn't been the one to save Skye that had been down to the others, sure he had helped but at the end of the day it was down to the actions that Simmons and Coulson had taken. He wasn't prepared to tell Skye everything she didn't know about Ireland, May or Lorelei; in time he would but at the moment he had other priorities. Whilst he wasn't prepared to dig deep into his feelings, he would ensure Skye would be better prepared for their work. He would train her to become his equal, and maybe along the way he would face his own demons and admit to himself without the influence of magic that his feelings extended beyond friendship; he just hoped that Skye would still be around for that day.

Ward dropped his head silently to the wall behind him closing his own eyes; he inhaled the cherry scent of her shampoo allowing it to encompass him. He was too wired to sleep, but it didn't mean he couldn't relax share his body heat with Skye; even though it was nothing more than a symbolic gesture, he wanted to be the only one to save her in this moment.


End file.
